Exercise belts are well known in the art. These belts are typically designed to fit around the waist of a user, and are utilized when the user is exercising or engaged in other activities to flatten and firm abdominal muscles. The abdominal muscles are stimulated by having points of applied external pressure. For example, when an object is slowly pushed into the stomach muscles, the muscles automatically resist the pressure by tightening. The purpose for stimulating the stomach muscles is to exercise the muscles efficiently. This tones the muscles. The exercise belt is optimally used in conjunction with regular exercise to enhance the results of the exercise.
Alternatively, exercise belts can be utilized to provide bracing and support for the back of the user, particularly user's who are afflicted with back problems. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,628,721 illustrates a back support assembly which includes a bulb pump which when pumped or squeezed by the user inflates an air cushion to exert the desired pressure and fit against the user's lower back. The cushion is secured to the middle of the elastic belt, which is adapted to wrap around the user's back to position the air cushion against the middle of the user's back. Opposing adjustment straps are attached to the back of the strap. With the belt secured around the user the adjustment straps can be pulled and releasably secured to the belt and/or each other at respective positions exerting the desired force on the air cushion and against the user's back. The bulb pump is conveniently attached to and carried by one of the adjustment straps. It is secured to the rear of that strap, and has its rounded forward portion extending out through an opening in the strap, operatively accessible for inflation/deflation by the user. That is, with this mounting arrangement the bulb pump is out of the way, but still readily accessible for squeeze pumping action by the user, and by its shape, construction and location advantageously has a low profile.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,858 discloses an air inflatable belt worn by a person for support in the lumbar and sacral regions of the body has an inner wall, which faces the body of the person, provided with one or more permanent magnet arrangements producing magnetic fields directed toward the person's body. The permanent magnet arrangements may be provided by one or more flexible magnetic sheets received in a pocket or pockets on the inner wall of the belt, or by permanent magnet particles embedded in the inner wall of the belt and magnetized to provide desired magnetic field patterns. The belt includes an inflatable bladder or bladders which may be removably supported on the belt.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,520,893 is directed to an inflatable exercise belt for placement around the abdomen of a user includes a substantially belt-shaped body having a first end portion and an opposite second end portion. A selectively inflatable air chamber is disposed at first end portion. Backing is disposed adjacent to the inflatable air chamber, so that when the inflatable air chamber is inflated, the inflatable air chamber expands in a direction away from backing thereby exerting pressure on the abdomen of the user.